With emergency manager Kevyn Orr weighing a potential Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing, which would be the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, the Motor City can only be viewed as “a five-decade Katrina,” Wayne State University professor Peter Hammer told the Washington Post.

They would also hate the idea of an ambulance failing to arrive at an emergency, but that’s exactly what Detroiters have become accustomed to, according to the New York Times.

“A question unimaginable in most major American cities is utterly commonplace in this one: If you suddenly found yourself gravely ill, injured or even shot, would you call 911?” the Times asked in a front-page story Tuesday.

(Page 2 of 2)

“Many people here say the answer is no. Some laugh at the odds of an ambulance appearing promptly, if ever. In Detroit, people map out alternative plans instead, enlisting a relative or a friend.”